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Tereos recognised for vegetable protein project

5 May 2015

French President François Hollande has presented the Tereos Group with the Vision Award for a vegetable protein project, as part of the Worldwide Innovation Challenge. The purpose of the competition was to bring forth the experts and future leaders of the French economy, by means of seven strategic objectives specified by the 2030 Innovation Commission, […]

French President François Hollande has presented the Tereos Group with the Vision Award for a vegetable protein project, as part of the Worldwide Innovation Challenge. The purpose of the competition was to bring forth the experts and future leaders of the French economy, by means of seven strategic objectives specified by the 2030 Innovation Commission, presided over by Anne Lauvergeon.

Meeting proteins needs is a central part of the challenges of worldwide nutritional issues, Tereos notes, pointing out that, currently, 70% of the proteins consumed worldwide are animal-based. The development of high-quality vegetable-based proteins for nutritional purposes is one of the solutions to the growing demand of the world’s population. Vegetable proteins are a major focus area for the Research & Development Department at Tereos,it says. The “G en Vie” (“nutritional taste and balance for a new vegetable-based meat”) project proposed by Tereos aims to develop an appealing nutritional product that promotes healthy eating habits, and also benefits from the natural wheat-protein resources that exist in France.

Promoting the consumption of vegetable proteins in our diets involves having a food product that approximates the colour, flavour, texture, and nutritional quality of meat, says Tereos. The “G en Vie” technology developed by Tereos offers various vegetable protein-based product formulations and allows for the addition of other ingredients, thereby making it possible to adapt the product to regional tastes and to optimise its nutritional composition. For example, the tests carried out showed that it was possible to incorporate up to 40% of ingredients such as beans, chickpeas, vegetables or even fruits into a vegetable-based steak. Another benefit of this technology is said to be that the dry quality of the product sold by Tereos requires no refrigeration or freezing, thereby constituting a major logistical advantage, especially for large-scale exports and protein-deficient geographic regions.

“This award represents another step forward in the development of vegetable proteins in France,” said Alexis Duval, President of the Executive Board of the Tereos Group. “The “G en Vie” project will enable Tereos to respond to evolving markets and new nutritional trends with a high-quality product.”